Lilies and Roses
by cuethepulse-old
Summary: Ficlets done for the 10lilies challenge. Cassidy and Jessie's simple rivalry isn't as simple as they lead others to believe. Mostly JessiexCassidy femmeslash, but will also contain JessiexJames and likely JamesxButch.
1. Take A Chance

Title: Take A Chance  
Summary: Cassidy needs to stop listening to that little voice of defiance. It only leaves her with a broken heart and mud on her shoes.  
Disclaimer: Pokemon and its characters do not belong to me.

Cassidy knew it was going to rain the moment she stepped outside of headquarters. The sensible part of her was insisting that she turn right around and go back inside before she got her heels muddy or her hair totally ruined. But another part of her—a part that had a bad habit of popping up in situations that could only turn out messy—wanted her to defy those dark rain clouds. And so, she held her head high and, with lips set in a smug smirk, she stepped out for her walk, as planned.

The last time she'd listened to that voice—taken a risk that went against her logical reasoning—she'd gotten into deep trouble. And it wasn't even that delicious, wonderful kind of trouble that she, as a Rocket, was ultimately striving for. It was the kind of trouble that stayed with a person for years, churning unpleasantly in the pit of their stomach, and making them wake up in the middle of the night with the salt of tears on their lips.

She could still remember the niggling way the voice had chanted in her ear: _do it, give in, you know you want it more than anything_. And, oh, how she had wanted it, and how she had loved it once she had it. Following Jessie into HQ's cleaning closet, completely surrounded by darkness and the sharp smell of chemicals that made her nostrils flare; surrendering herself to the other woman's skillful fingers and teasing tongue. Yes, she had wanted it. She had wanted it then, and she had thought that once would have been enough. It always had been in the past—with other women, at least.

Of course this time would've been different.

Slowly but steadily, the corners of her mouth turned down, until her narrowed eyes were staring at the ground beneath her feet. She'd really acted like a fool. She'd given her rival enough dirt to blackmail her with for a lifetime, in just the tight and desperate way she'd held her hand and refused to let go. But the redhead had made her let go, with her stabbing sapphire eyes that said, "Did you really think fooling around in a smelly closet meant something special?"

It was pouring now and Cassidy's hair was sticking to her face and the back of her neck. She could feel the way her damp clothes were clinging to her, and she could see her white shoes turning brown before her very eyes. She knew she looked a mess.

"Well, that's what you get, Cassidy," she muttered to herself, chuckling bitterly. With a sigh of annoyance and self-misery, she lifted her head—and froze. Jessie stood there, looking as disgustedly perfect as always, underneath a red umbrella.

Cassidy waited, silent—unable to say something haughty or superior when she was a drippy mess and Jessie was a goddess. She waited for Jessie to arch an eyebrow, to laugh out loud, to remark about how terrible she looked. But none of that came. Jessie didn't sneer, didn't frown, didn't smile, but she motioned with her head towards her umbrella and asked, "Heading my way?"

The devious voice hissed in Cassidy, shamelessly suggesting that she knock the damn umbrella out of Jessie's hand, pull the other woman close and kiss her senseless, hold her tight and firm until she was just as soaked, just as dirty, just as miserable as she was herself.

But, this time, Cassidy resisted. And when she awoke from dreaming that night, the only thing she tasted on her lips was the heaviness of the remnants that Jessie's red lipstick left behind. And that suited her much better.


	2. Purple Petals

Title: Purple Petals  
Summary: James had never had the chance to ask about her tattoo until now. And Jessie wishes he would've asked about anything else.  
Disclaimer: Pokemon and its characters do not belong to me.

Jessie had a small tattoo below her navel, right above the triangle patch of strawberry red curls. James had caught a glimpse of it once or twice, during quick, shared costume changes, but had never had the leisurely chance to view it, as he did now. She was stretched out on his bed, shamelessly naked as the day she was born, and her eyes were closed. Her lashes fluttered faintly as his fingers gently traced the outline of purple petals that decorated her skin.

"Sexy, isn't it?" She asked quietly, floating somewhere in the haze that exists between sleep and consciousness.

"It's nice." He saw her crack an eye open in warning and hastily corrected himself. "Sexy."

His fingers grew bold and she squirmed pleasantly, making a soft noise of approval.

"When did you get it?" He had to ask these questions now if he wanted to know anything. These were the times when she was her most honest. That was one of the reasons he still did this with her.

"It was before I met you. Back in training."

James' fingers made scissoring motions for a few moments; he observed the way her back arched before prodding further.

"And?"

"And what?"

"Why did you get it?"

Jessie didn't answer, but her eyes closed again, and James allowed her the secret as he bent down to nestle his head between her thighs.

Behind closed lids, Jessie saw blonde instead of blue, Cassidy's manicured nails digging into her hips to hold her still. She heard the echoes of her moans from years ago in the training dorm the two girls had shared, the moans that Cassidy's mouth had wrenched from her throat without mercy. She saw the way the moonlight from the window lighted her roommate's face even as she worked Jessie into a passionate frenzy. She saw the way her beautiful, lust-filled purple eyes glittered in the light, in the dark, as she watched what she could reduce the redhead to. That look in Cassidy's eyes had always been enough to drive Jessie over the edge. She always saw everything she ever wanted in those eyes.

The feeling of James moving to lay by her side brought Jessie back to the present. She didn't open her eyes, but she trailed her own fingers down her body until she reached the spot where she knew her tattoo to be.

"I got it so I wouldn't forget."

She didn't expect James to understand, but he held her as if he did. And he didn't ask about the purple petals again.


	3. Losing the Boys

Title: Losing the Boys  
Summary: When their partners move in together, Jessie and Cassidy wonder what do with themselves.  
Disclaimer: Pokemon and its characters do not belong to me.

"So, I take it you've heard the news."

Jessie glanced up from where she had her face buried in her crossed arms, to meet Cassidy's familiar sneer.

"What was your first clue?" Jessie frowned as Cassidy chuckled and the blonde slid into the booth across from her. "Who invited you to sit down…?"

"It's just killing you inside, isn't it?" Cassidy asked, an all-knowing smirk decorating her face.

"No!" Jessie hated the defensive whine her voice gained when she protested. "What's there to be upset about?"

Sure, she and James had been together for a long time. Years. Some of the best years of her life. But it wasn't as if she'd ever fooled herself into thinking it'd always be that way. James falling in love was something she was prepared for.

James falling in love with _Butch_, however, was something she would _never_ have been prepared for.

"I can understand being shocked. Of course, _I_ knew about them when they first hooked up."

"You mean, Butch _told_ you?" Jessie tried to keep the incredulity and envy out of her voice, but she was sure the emotions were clear in her big, blue eyes. "What, he just came out and _said_ it?"

"Well, Butch and I just have that sort of relationship."

Jessie's expression darkened. Hard as she might try to ignore them, Jessie always ended up letting Cassidy's remarks get to her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing, dear. Nothing at all." Cassidy smiled at her, haughty and callous. In the somewhat tense silence that followed, however, her thoughts wandered and she remembered that she had nothing to be so arrogant about. She was losing Butch, after all. Even if she'd been more prepared than Jessie, they were still going through the same thing.

Their boys were leaving them.

"So…" Jessie's wistful gaze was focused on the dirty surface of the table. "Where does all this leave us?"

Cassidy wasn't sure of how to answer. It left them with empty, quiet apartments. It left them with partners who would spend spare time with each other instead of with them. It left them sitting at a booth in HQ's cafeteria, looking totally pathetic.

Smirk returning to her face, Cassidy lifted her leg slightly and hooked her foot around Jessie's ankle.

"We should go out sometimes."

"Wh-What?" Jessie looked up at her in surprise. Surely she must have heard that wrong…

"Well, we'll have a lot of free time on our hands without the boys to bother us." She arched an eyebrow, somewhat suggestively. "Don't you think so?"

Jessie looked away, considering the offer, even as a bit of color started to tinge her cheeks. Cassidy felt her smile grow wider; she knew she'd won. And suddenly, losing Butch didn't seem so bad, after all.


End file.
